Conventional bookmarks exhibit a number of disadvantages. Most do not remain securely in place between the pages of the book. The bookmark is apt to fall out of the book when the book is moved or accidentally dropped. As a result, the reader may lose his or her place in the book. Conventional bookmarks are also easy to misplace and are subject to wear and tear over time.
A number of known devices have utilized a strap or band for attaching to the book and carrying an elongate marker that is disposed between selected pages of the book to mark a desired position in the book. See Clare, U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,951 and Nichols U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,892. These are rather bulky and unattractive products that are not convenient to use. The band or strap tends to be fairly thick and cumbersome. Attaching and removing the strap from a book can be time consuming, tedious and annoying. Pages and other portions of the book may be torn or otherwise damaged as the strap is attached or removed. Moreover, these bookmarks are rather unattractive. The strap must be wrapped obtrusively about the front or back cover of the book. In each case, the marker extends loosely between selected pages being marked. None of the known products includes any means of reliably securing the marker portion in place between the pages. As a result, if the book is picked up or accidentally dropped, the marker is likely to become dislodged from the book so that the reader loses his or her place. This can be extremely frustrating and totally defeats the purpose of using the bookmark.